Even that was a sinking thought, because if he did return, she would have to tell him that she carried Talking Dog’s child. Then she would refused to return to live on an Indian Reservation where she would most likely run into Talking Dog, who may accuse her of having his child, knowing that she would remain chaste until she was tied to Gray Wolf, which hadn’t even happened yet. She didn’t think she could face Talking Dog again with his penetrating eyes and his sneering mouth. Also, if she returned with Gray Wolf, he may end up killing Talking Dog after all, once he learned of her condition and even though the tribe could not banish him off of a reservation, no telling what the Indian agents would do to him under those circumstances.
Mazy and Gordon rode in the wagon, while Daisy straddled Starfire in her billowing skirt and petty coats, while Lucky trailed behind. Daisy’s feelings were mixed between being happy for her freedom and not knowing what the future held for her, except for the undeniable fact that she would, eventually, become a mother. She had not informed Madison or Loran that she was going to the farmhouse, but they would learn soon enough, she figured. Davy had seemed disappointed that she was leaving along with being excited about coming to visit her at the farm in the future. He hugged both her and Lucky goodbye. Her parents hugged her as well, with trepidation filling their eyes as they watched her mount Starfire in preparation of leaving on her own.
“I will be fine,” she tried to reassure them, yet she didn’t think they believed her. She barely believed herself.
“If you need anything, just send Gordon with a list and we will furnish it,” her father promised.
“If you miss us, you can always come here to visit,” her mother offered.
“Yes,” Daisy murmured, knowing she had no intentions of going there once she settled in at the farm house. If they came to visit her, she would just bundle herself up in a large coat, she decided, and sit with a blanket over her lap, complaining of the cold. However, it did not get very cold there, she noticed, and she was informed that in the winter time, it didn’t even snow. She would not have to worry about facing a harsh winter, like she was used to doing in the Dakotas.
Gordon and Mazy seemed as excited as she felt, coming with her to the farmhouse. Everything would be more relaxed there and they would not have to worry about acting so proper, Daisy thought happily to herself. She would think of them more as family than servants, and they could spend pleasant times together with Daisy, visiting or playing cards, rather than them being stuck in the kitchen or the servant’s floor when they were not working.
Cooking would be a challenge, though, Daisy thought. She only knew how to cook Indian food over a campfire in a buffalo stomach, and Mazy was a maid, not a cook. However, Rebeca had given her a cookbook to use and she was certain she could manage. The Indians had gotten a few iron pots from the trading post so at least, she knew what they were used for. Her reading had improved, and she had brought the advanced reading books that she would be reading in future lessons so she could improve her reading skills. Being at the farmhouse would give her a lot more time to dedicate to her reading and playing the piano. There would be no need to start a garden until spring, and by then, her baby would be born.
The thought troubled her since she knew next to nothing about having a baby. She decided to worry about that later. She was going to have to learn how to bottle the fruit and make jam with the berries. She was certain the chore would keep her occupied over the months she was waiting for Gray Wolf to return, and until her future child showed its face.
Even if Gray Wolf refused to take her as his wife because of her condition, or went back to the reservation without her when she refused to return, she would have a child to care for and love, even if it was brought about by Talking Dog’s lust. She could live there at the farmhouse in seclusion with no prying eyes or people to point a finger at her. If Gray Wolf remained with her, they would merely believe the child belonged to him. Perhaps the future wasn’t as dreadful as she feared it might be.
“I’ll unload the wagon,” Gordon offered, when they pulled up in front of the house. Daisy knew where to find the hidden key, retrieving it and handing it to Gordon to unlock the door with.
“I’ll take all your clothes and belongings up to your room,” Mazy offered.
“Once the wagon is empty and the horses are put away, I will get a fire going in the cook stove and fireplace,” Gordon continued.
The wagon was unloaded, and while Gordon took care of her horses and the mules, Mazy and Daisy started tackling the boxes, putting the ones that belonged in the kitchen there, and taking the suitcases and bundles of clothes up to rooms above. Daisy gave Mazy the room across the hall from her, and told Gordon he could have the room at the end of the hall. Mazy separated her belongings from Daisy’s and Gordon brought his own belongings upstairs and stowed them in his room.
At first, Lucky refused to come into the house, having been taught not to go into the house in town and having never been in a house when he was a pup. Eventually, Daisy was able to coax him in, offering him a slab of meat as a reward. Once he was inside, he stayed close to Daisy’s heels, following her through the house wherever she went. Daisy could hear Gordon outside chopping wood, and soon after, he stumbled through the door with his arms loaded down with wood to use in the fireplace and the cook stove.
The house was damp and smelled musty from being closed for so long, but once the fires were started, Gordon busied himself prying the wood off of the windows and adding that wood to his firewood pile. As the light filtered through the windows, catching all the specks of dust floating in the air, the heavy feeling Daisy had felt at first entering the house, by remembering herself imprisoned there, started to lift. This was now going to be her home. She would never be locked inside again, and she could fix it up in any way she pleased. She stood and stared at the dusty windows as the sunlight filtered through them, thinking of how she longed to be free, the last time she was in the house. Now, she truly did feel free. It was the most enjoyable feeling she had felt in a long time.
“I’ll take the carpets out and beat the dirt out of them,” Gordon offered, “while you and Mazy finish putting things away. Then I’ll come back and sweep the floors.
Daisy nodded with a smile. They would all work together to make the farmhouse their home. Daisy hoped she would never have to leave it. She realized she did not want to live like an Indian in the future. She had gotten too used to the white man’s way of living, and she wasn’t ashamed to admit it. Besides, she was sure reservation life would not be enjoyable. Now, all she had to worry about was convincing Gray Wolf to give up his Indian family and remain with her. She worried he would never agree, even if it meant he would be forced to remain on a reservation to be with his people.
The days seemed to pass quickly as Daisy busied herself cleaning up the house and setting it straight with the help of Mazy and Gordon. At night they sat in front of a crackling fire and talked together, a pleasure they had never experienced before when Daisy lived with her parents. Lucky was usually stretched out at Daisy’s feet. He had settled down, ever since they arrived, and seemed to be contented to remain faithfully at Daisy’s side at all times. Sometimes they would go for rides together, Gordon and Mazy using the mules that pulled the wagon, as they explored the countryside, with Lucky happily following them.
Daisy wished it could remain this way forever, but she knew everything would change once she had her baby, and if Gray Wolf did not return… she prayed he was not dead. She fingered the pouch she had put around her neck again, which contained the woman medicine, once she was safe at the farmhouse. Anything would be better than discovering he had been killed, she thought as her fingers caressed the soft leather of the pouch. Only she didn’t know how she would discover it one way or the other, unless he returned to her.
Lucky began barking, and Daisy went to the door to discover Loran standing by his horse in the drive. She was so happy to see him, she impulsively ran out and threw her arms around hi
s neck.
“How are you faring?” he asked when she reluctantly pulled away. As soon as I discovered you had left for the farmhouse, I had to come see you.”
“I love it here,” she admitted.
“Does anyone know about your condition yet?”
Daisy shook her head. “I think Mazy suspects something, but she will not ask me. It wouldn’t be polite,” she laughed. “I could have the baby right in front of her before she would say a word. I am certain she and Gordon must talk among themselves about it, though. Neither of them would be rude enough to mention it though.”
“Perhaps you should tell them so they will be prepared. After all, you may require help, once the moment occurs.”
“Yes,” Daisy mumbled. “Only I haven’t been brave enough to bring the subject up.”
“Why don’t I remain here for a day or two, and then we will all discuss it? When your time is close, I could scout around for a midwife. To tell you the truth, it is not hard to detect your condition. You are fooling yourself if you think you are still keeping it a secret.”
Daisy slapped his arm. “You are probably right. Both Mazy and Gordon keep staring at me, but like I said, they would never say a word unless I mentioned it. You are ever so kind for coming, Loran,” Daisy murmured. “I don’t know what I would have done without your support.”
“It is my pleasure, Daisy. I just want to see you safe and happy. Have you had any word from Gray Wolf? I heard about the battle at Little Bighorn and that the Indians are being forced to remain on the reservation now.”
Daisy shook her head, trying to hold back tears. “I don’t know how to find out what has happened to him,” she whispered in despair, putting her arms back around his neck and feeling her body shake as she laid her head on his shoulder.
“So, you have chosen another,” Daisy heard a voice say. She looked up in shock as someone emerged from the nearby woods.
“Gray Wolf?” she half cried, her voice shaking. She was too shocked to even move, and merely stared at him as her hands slowly left Loran’s neck.
“I thought you promised to wait for me to return,” he said gruffly. “It seems you couldn’t wait to take someone else as your husband. I am surprised it is not Madison.”
“No, Gray Wolf. You misunderstand!”
“Misunderstand? You stand there, unmistakenly carrying a child, with your arms around another? What is there to misunderstand? You are living in a house of your own. I assume you could not wait to come here with another to forsake me.”
“I have not forsaken you, Gray Wolf. I didn’t even know if you were alive or dead. I didn’t know if you would ever return, but I have not forsaken you!”
“Then what do you call it?” he asked, coming down from his horse and striding towards her. “You are in another man’s arms, carrying a child, no longer living with your parents. It is not hard to see you forgot about me the moment I left.”
“You think I am carrying Loran’s child?” Daisy gasped. “Have you so soon forgotten about Talking Dog?”
Gray Wolf stilled, his eyes shifting from Daisy to Loran as though trying to understand what she was saying. “Talking Dog…?” His voice trailed away. “Talking Dog is dead,” he said at last. “He was killed at Little Bighorn.”
“Then he will never see his child’s face. And even if he weren’t dead, I would never allow him to know I conceived his child,” Daisy breathed, as she turned to face Gray Wolf and slowly walk towards him.
Suddenly, it seemed to hit Gray Wolf all at once. “It is his child?” he questioned. “When he forced himself on you he…” Gray Wolf couldn’t finish. He couldn’t think straight. He thought about how Talking Dog had begged him to forgive him for what he had done to Little Flower.
Finally he spoke, his words barely audible. “He asked for my forgiveness before he died, and I gave it. He took Merry Morning as his wife while I was away. The past is over now. Are you saying you are not this man’s wife?”
Daisy merely nodded.
“Then why are you in his arms?”
“He is my friend. He is the only one I told about my condition. It is you I have always loved, Gray Wolf. Only now, I fear you don’t wish me to become your wife.”
“In our tribe we vow to care for any child that has come about, when the parents cannot care for it. Although you were not tied to Talking Dog, and he dishonored you by taking you against your will, the child you carry is still a member of our tribe. I must honor my forgiveness of Talking Dog by caring for that child. That is, in the event you become my wife.” He gave her a half-smile as he stepped closer.
“You still want me?” Daisy’s voice trembled as she watched Gray Wolf take two more steps towards her.
“All I could think about the moment I left was my Little Flower,” he whispered. “All I prayed for while I fought the enemy was that I lived to see your face again. My people have been taken from their land. We will never hunt the buffalo again. Without the buffalo, there is no purpose to our life. Without you, there is no purpose to my life.”
Swiftly, he took the last step and was pulling Daisy into his arms. “You are my Little Flower. You will always be my Little Flower. Of course, I still want you. I have never stopped wanting you. We will raise Talking Dog’s child together, and then you and I can have many more children to join with our family in love.”
The moment the words were out, Little Flower was engulfed in Gray Wolf’s kiss. She was carried back to the time by the river when all she could think about was how much she loved Gray Wolf. Even though she knew it would never be like the days she had spent with him in the Sioux village, it was time to start a new chapter in their life, and Gray Wolf would have to learn to be a part of her world now. The best part was that she was safely snuggled in Gray Wolf’s arms where she wanted to remain forever.
THE END
Little Flower Page 28